Burnett: "Its not so much about how you start, it's about how you finish"....WRONG

By Bill Daulton

If you’ve been following the 2011 edition of the Miami Dolphins, you know that they are a prideful bunch. Some close to the team even suggest that there is an arrogance around this Dolphins team….the players call it ‘swag’ (short for swagger). There is plenty of it to go around. However, someone in the Dolphins PR department needs to have a discussion with the Dolphins players, because some of the quotes that have been coming out of Miami, are ridiculous.

Take our headline for example. Kevin Burnett, who’s been playing like a monster of late, said the following after the Dolphins win over the Raiders: “Its not so much about how you start, it’s about how you finish”. Really Kevin? It’s not so much about how you start? Maybe that’s the case when you start 3-3 and rattle off 10 straight wins to win your division. BUT, when you start 0-7 and sabotage your city’s playoff hopes BEFORE Halloween, it is about how you start. The way the Dolphins started the season has lead to fan frustration, apathy, and anger….oh, and plummeting ticket sales. Kevin, when you start 0-7, it’s more about how you start, because no one will care how you finish.

Then there was this jewel from Jason Taylor to Dolphins fans: “You may be upset that we’re winning, but we really don’t give a damn.” Hey Jason, do you know why fans are so upset? It’s because you killed any playoff dreams in October…you’ve forced us to watch meaningless games in November/December/January. That’s why Dolphins fans are upset. Yes, a portion of the fan base want the Dolphins to lose to improve draft position, but that’s a minority at this point. And those fans would be rooting for you to win, had you won even 1-2 games to start the season instead of losing 7 straight.

Finally, there is Karlos Dansby who said this: “I think it was much needed for us to go 0-7. Guys turned a lot of things around, and do things differently that needed to be done.” This may take the cake for the dumbest comment made this season. The team NEEDED to go 0-7 before turning things around? Are you kidding me? Why couldn’t the ‘guys’ have turned a lot of things around before digging the Dolphins into an insurmountable hole? Why did the team have to hit rock bottom in October before winning games in November/December? Maybe if Karlos and his teammates had turned things around earlier, the Dolphins could be talking about a push for the playoffs instead of making these ridiculous comments.

Sadly, I think the Dolphins will continue to play the woulda, shoulda, coulda game with the 2011 season. The playoffs are out of reach and the Dolphins will still be looking for a new coach, no matter what ‘Keep Tony’ campaigns pop up. We can only hope that the players learn from their terrible start in 2011, so the ones that are around in 2012, can get off to a better start. Sorry Mr. Burnett, but it’s about how you start AND how you finish.